Florida News Archive

TALLAHASSEE — Effects of the coronavirus pandemic on state tourism decreased in October, but recovery for Florida’s vital revenue-generating industry is still at best a year away, according to an association study released Monday.

The Destinations Florida study indicated that businesses in October were having fewer problems finding supplies than in June. The research for Destinations Florida, an association of local tourism promotion organizations, also found a slight uptick in people planning Florida trips.

The repeated effort to turn off red-light traffic cameras is back in the Florida House.

Howey-in-the-Hills Republican Rep. Anthony Sabatini is again sponsoring a measure (HB 6009) that calls for a repeal of the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program law. The 2010 law, named after a man killed by a motorist who ran a red light, authorized the use of red-light cameras throughout the state.

Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, is again asking lawmakers to consider increased safety standards for residential pools.

Hooper has re-filed legislation (SB 124) for the 2021 session that would increase from one to two the number of safety measures needed for new pools and for existing pools, when a property is sold.

TALLAHASSEE — The state Department of Health on Sunday reported that 19,177 Florida residents have died of COVID-19. Here is a breakdown of the resident deaths by age group:

— Ages 0-4: 0 deaths

TALLAHASSEE — More than seven years after an 8-year-old girl was abducted from a Jacksonville Walmart, raped and murdered, the Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments this week about whether a man sentenced to death in the slaying should receive a new trial.

The June 2013 murder of Cherish Perrywinkle drew huge amounts of news coverage and public attention in Jacksonville, with a jury in 2018 finding Donald James Smith guilty and a judge sending him to Death Row.

TALLAHASSEE — Two state senators have uncorked proposals to make permanent a coronavirus emergency order that allowed restaurants and other food establishments with liquor licenses to include alcohol with “to-go” orders.

Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, separately filed measures that would allow a business holding a state alcohol license to sell or deliver spirited beverages by the package for off-site consumption. The proposals would require the liquid to be in a sealed container and to be part of a food order.

State Rep. Mike Grieco, D-Miami Beach, wants lawmakers to eliminate legal holidays honoring the birthdays of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, along with a Confederate Memorial Day.

Grieco on Thursday filed a bill (HB 6007) to remove the Lee, Davis and Confederate Memorial days from a list of legal holidays on the books in Florida. A similar effort in 2018 was approved by one Senate committee but did not pass the Legislature. It drew objections from people who argued the proposal would erase Southern history. Lee’s birthday, Jan. 19, and Confederate Memorial Day, April 26, have been legal holidays in Florida since 1895. Davis’ birthday, June 3, was added in 1905.

Florida on Thursday ramped up plans to vaccinate seniors for COVID-19 by publishing two emergency rules that require nursing homes and assisted living facilities to allow representatives from the state health department, CVS and Walgreens into the facilities.

The emergency rules from DeSantis’ administration also gave nursing homes and assisted living facilities until the end of Thursday to sign up on state-supported websites to participate in what’s known as the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-term Care  Program.

On April 1, just weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, 7,773 people in Florida had tested positive for the insidious disease. By July 1, that total was up to 158,997. On Oct. 1, it had leaped to 709,144.

And on Tuesday, Florida reached a milestone that nobody wanted to see: more than 1 million reported cases.

TALLAHASSEE — Saying he could no longer remain silent, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley issued a rare and lengthy statement this week castigating people he said are imperiling the nation’s democracy by casting doubt on the outcome of the presidential contest.

Corley, a lifelong Republican, did not identify President Donald Trump by name in the roughly 900-word screed released Wednesday.